Express Streak Comes To A Close

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Players and fans held their breaths. The ball went up, then down, hitting the rim – and bouncing away. The Windsor Express had a chance to grab the lead, but it couldn’t be done. Instead, the London Lightning took advantage. In seconds, the Lightning put an end to the Express’ undefeated home streak. On Friday, the 13^th, Windsor dropped a 93-91 decision to London, inside the WFCU Centre.

DeAndre Thomas led the way with 23 points and 8 rebounds. Ryan Anderson netted 20 points. Quinnel Brown scored 15 points and had 7 rebounds.

Kevin Loiselle and Ryan Anderson have improved their game and worked their way into the starting lineup. In addition, the Express picked up Adrian Moss.

The game began in Windsor’s favour as the Express took the first five points, but it was all London after that. The Lightning fired back with 13 points as they were all over the Express. For the most part, the visitors were controlling the game early on. Windsor didn’t fret; the team came back to slightly catch up and close the gap. At the end of the first, London was up 23-20.

Once the rust was shaken off, and they were refocused, the Express went to work. It wasn’t long before they took over the lead. They were making up for a rough start in a big way. Back and forth, throughout much of the quarter, the two rivals battled hard for the lead. It would never last as the opposing team would keep up. After the first half, the teams were at a 45-45 standstill.

A brand new game started the second half, but the Lightning weren’t sitting back. They hit a three-pointer to somewhat quiet the crowd. The Express weren’t far behind. Much like the second quarter, the teams fought for the lead, mostly exchanging one-point advantages. The crucial moment for Windsor came with a second remaining in the third. In a last-ditch effort, Quinnel Brown got a hold of the ball outside of the key. He turned and fired a quick jump-shot toward the basket. The buzzer sounded, and the ball bounced off the backboard and in. The crowd, the players, the arena erupted in roaring cheers. The momentum was in Windsor’s favour as they grabbed a 68-67 lead with a quarter to go.

The energy was Windsor’s, but quickly exasperated. London continued to pressure the Express and eventually took control. Windsor fell behind after missing important opportunities. With a little over three minutes to go, the Lightning had an 8-point lead. The Express turned that around fast and cut the lead to just two points. Unfortunately, another London three-point shot extended its lead, and put Windsor in a tight spot. Brown hit two foul shots to bring his team within three. Under a minute remained and the Express needed some magic. Cue Ryan Anderson, who landed a timely three-pointer that once again sent the fans into frenzy. The nail-biter was tied at 91 with seconds to play. At one end, DeAndre Thomas’ shot bounced up and away from the basket. At the other, Brent Jennings missed his shot for the Lightning. A Windsor foul on the play gave London a one-point lead after missing a free throw. Only 13 seconds remained as the Express pressed hard for any kind of basket.

The ball wouldn’t drop, though.

The Lightning scored one more free throw before putting the game away. The Express lost their first home game of the season 93-91 to the Lightning.

Windsor’s next game at the WFCU Centre is Sunday, February 22^nd at 2pm against the Mississauga Power.